When Kim got up in the morning, she felt like she could sleep for maybe another hour or two, but with how everyone was getting up then, she knew that was a luxury she wouldn't be able to indulge in at this time. Not that it really mattered. She knew she'd gotten enough sleep, just with how comfortable these chairs were, a little extra sounded very tempting.
While she had wondered how big this library was, she had also expected a few other threats to deal with in here. Such as a guardian beast or something. The size that the library was proving to being, made it feel like there should be something like that in here. Yet, it was clear that there wasn't going to be anything for her to do. She'd have to just try and be patient until they were able to leave this place.
However, after everyone had made a trip to the cafeteria, and gotten ready to go, Blot called a halt to them starting out. Which surprised Kim more than she had expected.
"Uh, sorry, but there's another guest here. I'll be right back, but I have to greet them. I'll have another take care of them after that, but I'll need to meet with them first," Blot explained.
Kim nodded, not sure if it was necessary as Blot didn't even look at her before a glowing circle appeared beneath the talking book , started glowing, and then Blot was gone. As if it hadn't been there in the first place.
"Will he be alright?" Elin asked, sounding rather worried.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Kim replied, hoping to soothe Elin's worries.
"Blot's not an 'it' but a 'he,'" Elin snapped, her expression clearly showing how ready she was to fight about the matter.
"Sorry," Kim replied, in a 'not sorry' tone. "I'll make sure not to refer to the book that way."
Around you, Kim added to herself.
"Any guesses on who it might be?" Elwin asked suddenly. "I mean if it's Stanley and his group or if it'd be someone else entirely."
"It might be Murdock," Elmo suggested.
"What would he be doing here?" Elwin asked, as if Elmo had suggested something ridiculous.
Elmo merely shrugged. "Maybe he and Tina just came across this place and decided to take a look. I mean, I doubt they'd be interested in this place if they thought it had anything to do with the challenge."
"Besides, how would Stanley and his group know about this place anyway?" Patricia asked, sounding bored. "Maybe they heard about it somewhere along their own travels, but that doesn't mean that they'd have reason to think that this was where it was supposed to be."
"Well, what if there's more than one entrance to the library?" Jonas asked thoughtfully. "Just like how we entered the cafeteria from here, maybe that's why the idea that the library moves around is out there. Because that's how they explained why the library has multiple entrances."
"Then why'd Kim's sword only show her the location that we used to enter here?" Elin asked, looking like she was struggling to sort all this information out as fast as it was coming in. "Why wouldn't it show her multiple places?"
"Maybe it was just going with the closest entrance," Jonas suggested, nodding at Elin. "We don't really know fully how Kim's sword works, so it's very possible that that was what happened.
Elin sighed, looking like she wasn't really buying into Jonas' theory, but Kim had to admit that his suggestion could very well be possible. She hadn't thought much about it herself, but it also wasn't like she cared that much anyway. She thought about trying to talk with Elin about that right then, but quickly dismissed the idea.
If Elin wanted to talk about it, she'd likely approach Kim. If not, she could wait until they stopped to rest for the night before just to see if she was still troubled by it.
After what could only be a matter of minutes, Blot reappeared in a dome of light that disappeared after a minute of forming.
"Sorry about that, I had to make sure they weren't going to be a problem. I tasked one of the others to look after them while I help all of you. So, lets continue on," Blot explained without letting anyone get a chance to ask themselves.
Not that Kim minded. She was tempted to ask about the other visitors, but she also didn't want to seem overly interested. If it was Stanley and his group, she'd like to know if they were up to something. As she had a feeling they'd be the ones to look out for the most. Murdock and Tina wouldn't be an issue nor would it be a problem if it was someone else entirely.
So, Kim settled on with traveling again. Though, she also couldn't help but wonder how long it'd take before they reached the section they wanted. The one that contained the book about traveling between worlds. The one that would be the farthest from where they started.
Although, Kim also couldn't help but wonder if it'd take just as much time to get back to the start as it had to get there in the first place. With how things were in this library, and world in general, she wouldn't be surprised if there was another way for them to get back to the entrance. A quicker way.
Which would be something to ask about when it was time to head back. Kim certainly didn't want to make it seem like she wanted to head back already. Not when they had just barely started out on their journey through this enormous library.
As they continued to pass shelves upon shelves of books, Kim couldn't help but start to wonder just how many books there were in the first place. She doubted that all of them had been written on this world, if at all, as with what they'd spoken with the king about, it hardly seemed like there had been enough time in this world for this many books to have been written.
Naturally, it was possible that many were written long before the king had come here. In a civilization that destroyed itself or something, but that would probably be in the second section, the one about history.
A subject Kim didn't care enough about to mention that now. Not when it could mean that they'd have a sudden detour to look for a book on that idle thought.
Shaking her head to clear it, Kim continued on.
After what seemed like only a few hours of navigating their way through the endless labyrinth of bookshelves, Blot stopped them.
"This is the start of section 297. If I recall correctly, two of you expressed interest in the book 'Prenatal Magic.' This section is wholly composed of books of magic involved in various healing aspects. Some are about the theory behind healing magic while others explain how it works and all the different kinds of healing magic," Blot explained, sounding almost like a tour guide.
"And how far is the book you mentioned?" Patrick asked, sounding almost like a tourist.
"Not far, not far," the book assured them.
Kim glanced at Elin and saw excitement reflected in her eyes. She wanted to say something about it, but had a feeling whatever came out probably wouldn't come out very well and would more than likely get Elin upset with her. Again.
Which sometimes was fun, but this time Kim was sure that it would be more of a headache than anything else. Though, she did notice that Heather looked more interested in the books than she had before. Which Kim figured was because of her system having to do with healing itself.
Blot started leading them through the books and Heather looked almost like she was trying to determine if any of the books were one that she'd like to ask for, but didn't say anything. Elmo seemed to get more and more excited, though not enough to match how excited Elin seemed to be.
Kim couldn't help but wonder why Elmo seemed to be as excited as Elin. While she knew that Elmo had expressed an interest in the same book as Elin, she was pretty sure that he hadn't shown as much interest as Elin had, yet it seemed like now his interest was growing.
Either that or it was because something he wanted was that close at hand. Not that it bothered her. It was more of an irritation than anything else. One she was pretty sure would go away soon enough. Once they found the book, that is.
After what felt like another hour, Blot started flapping its cover, like they were wings or something, and started to rise in the air. It rose up towards the second shelf from the ceiling, where its ribbon bookmarks were extended and pulled a book off the shelf. Then, cradling the book, as if it was a newborn baby, Blot brought the book down.
"This is Prenatal Magic. Inside you'll find what you were looking for," Blot said, holding out the book for Elin to take.
Elin accepted it, looking at it like just holding the book might be the solution for what she'd wanted the book for in the first place.